3D printed add-ons can turn your iPhone into a low cost eye exam kit

Jun 10, 2016 | By Tess

New Zealand based eye care specialists, oDocs, have dedicated themselves to the treatment and prevention of blindness, specifically in parts of the world without access to state-of-the-art medical facilities. Earlier this year, we wrote about their efforts to create low-cost eye-testing tools with the help of 3D printing and now, the group’s first two products have been released onto the market. The products are the visoClip and the visoScope, two 3D printed tools that are designed for use with Apple smartphones, and which can perform anterior and retinal eye examinations.

oDocs was founded in 2014 by Dr. Hong Sheng Chiong and Dr. Benjamin O’Keeffe who wanted to address the 285 million cases of visual impairment and blindness around the world, specifically the large percentage of which are from developing areas. The solution was to create portable, low-cost eye care kits that could easily be deployed to remote areas and were more financially accessible than existing eye-care equipment, which can cost upwards of ten thousand dollars.

visoClip is essentially a small 3D printed clip that can be fastened to the top of an iPhone over its camera lens. Fitted with a special lens capable of providing 10x magnification as well as a 15mm wide light beam with changeable optical filters (in white or cobalt blue), the visoClip effectively transforms the iPhone into an anterior segment microscope, which is used to visualize the front third of the eye in high-resolution. The smartphone add-on, which is both strong and waterproof, can be used to capture images of acute corneal lesions, and because of its small size can be easily used in the field. oDocs has even compared their novel accessory to slit lamp microscopes, but is retailing for the reasonable price $149.

The visoScope, for its part, gives iPhones retinal imaging capabilities through its specialized optics. The tool simply needs to be attached over the iPhone’s camera and flash, and with its high quality anti-reflective crown lens, users can visualize a 50° field of view of the patient’s eye. The visoScope offers a comparable view to that of a fundus camera, but is portable, and much less costly.

The visoScope is available in three different models: the visoScope RP ($249), which is described as oDocs’ entry-level offering and which is laser sintered from a Nylon SLS material; the visoScope PX ($325), which is their most popular version made from a Polyurethan molding process and which has an easy to clean surface; and the visoScope MX ($495), precision CNC-machined out of Acetal, a high quality resin with very good mechanical properties.

Each of oDocs’ products is currently available for pre-order through the company’s website, and are expected to ship as soon as November 2016. As mentioned, the visoClip and the visoScope are designed to fit over Apple’s smart phone products, including the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6 plus, 6s, 6s plus, and SE.